Loans and Moans
by Gregorypeck205
Summary: Tim and Ziva are back at it again with some laughs along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Taking Control Adventure Series!**

 **Tim continues his new work focus with some fun along the way.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2: I don't own NCIS or their characters. To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Loans and Moans! Chapter 1**

"I'm sorry Ms. Scuito, even though your work history is excellent and your present job is very impressive, we will not be able to approve this loan for you" the loan officer informed Abby. "The only way we will be able to approve this loan is with a cosigner."

Abby really didn't want to have a cosigner for this loan. She didn't want anyone to know about the loan and she definitely didn't want anyone to know what the loan was for.

"What if I lowered the amount of the loan request, would you be able to approve me without a cosigner" she asked?

"I'm sorry Ms. Scuito but lowering the amount of the request would not alleviate the need for a cosigner" he informed her. "Unfortunately, your excellent work history and very impressive job does not offset your extremely bad credit history. Your credit history makes it impossible for us to approve a loan for you without a cosigner."

The loan officer liked Abby and did not want to add to her misery so he remained silent instead of advising her that coming into a financial institution, dressed as she was, did not scream out to anyone, I'm a responsible person and will pay back every penny of the loan.

Abby was dressed in her normal Goth attire. Not only did this not help her case but in fact made it worse. Already having a bad credit history, no reputable financial institution would even entertain the thought of extending a loan to her in her present state of dress. If she had spoke to any of her coworkers before going to ask for a loan, they all would have told her to wear the suit she wears when she has to appear in court. As it is, since she didn't want any of her coworkers to know about the loan, she didn't go to them for advice. Finally, Abby relented.

"Ok, I'll have one of my coworkers come in and cosign for me" she said dejectedly.

"Very well Ms. Scuito that should satisfy the banks requirement for us to extend the loan to you. Let me call the bank manager over make sure everything is in order."

The loan officer signaled to the bank manager to come over. When the bank manager arrived, the loan officer explained the situation to him and showed him that all the paperwork was in order and was just waiting for the cosigner to come in and sign. What Abby didn't know was the bank manager was a snob and didn't like Goth. He had noticed Abby right away when she came in and had been looking down his nose at her the entire time she had been in the bank. There was no way he was going to allow this person to get a loan at his bank. He quickly thought up a lie to refuse her the loan.

"I'm sorry Ms. Scuito, but the bank just recently instituted a new policy that forbids coworkers from cosigning for loans. "

The bank manager had just glanced at her paperwork without really reading it so he didn't see where she actually worked. He just assumed it was a dump somewhere and any coworkers she had would be just like her. The loan officer sat there bewildered since he had never heard of such a policy. He would have to ask the bank manager about the new policy later.

Abby was stumped. All the people who would cosign for her worked with her. She had already figured she would have McGee cosign for her since she knew his credit was beyond reproach. But Timmy was a coworker or was he? An idea hatched inside Abby's mind and she started smiling at the brilliance of it.

"Ok, I'll have my friend cosign for me" she said brightly.

Speaking in his snobbish way, the bank manager stated "This friend has to be reputable with an outstanding credit history for us to approve the loan."

"Oh, he is" she gushed! "He is a bestselling author."

Still in his snobbish voice, the bank manager said "Have this friend come down to the bank to cosign and if his credit history checks out, we will approve your loan immediately. By the way, what are some of the books he has written?"

"Well, he wrote the Deep Six series" Abby stated smiling. Before she could name some of McGee's other books, she noticed both the loan officer and the bank manager looked like they had just swallowed some very hot peppers.

"Wait" the bank manager shouted before remembering where he was and lowering his voice. "Your friend is Thom E. Gemcity" he asked?

"Yes" Abby said smiling. "He happens to be my best friend"

The bank manager composed himself and not believing a word of what Abby was saying replied snottily "Yes, well, I'm sure he is your best friend but until he comes down to the bank and cosigns for you, we are still unable to approve your loan."

"Ok, no problem, I'll come back with Ti uh Thom as soon as he has some free time" Abby stated, almost calling him Timmy. Abby thought this would be the easiest loan ever to approve with McGee cosigning and she couldn't wait to see the look on the snobbish bank manager's face when she came in with McGee, oops, when she came in with Thom. Smiling, she could already see their surprised faces when they see how much Mr. Gemcity adores her and practically trips over himself to please her. She hated people like the bank manager who prejudges her on her looks alone. She knows most of them are thinking there goes another one of those dumb Goth people with nothing going on in their life. Of course, they don't know that just about any room she walks into, she almost always the smartest person in that room. Well, that is, if McGee isn't with her at the time. That guy takes brains to a whole other level. McGee is a certified genius and people still marvel how down to earth he is. With his brain, he could easily be the most arrogant person on earth but he is just not built that way. Timothy McGee is one of the sweetest and most humble guys ever. She wonders if that's why she sometimes takes advantage of him. If you can't be the smartest person in the room, being in control of the smartest person in the room is just as good. That is such a destructive thought. Why would that thought even cross her mind? She is better than this. She has got to do better than this. She has got to stop taking advantage of his feelings for her. She knows McGee still cares for her and would do anything for them to be back together. She has already hurt him deeply on more than one occasion and doesn't want to ever do that again. He is waaayyy to good of a person to be treated that way by anyone, let alone the person who claims to be his best friend. She is better than that. She will be better than that. Putting the thought out of her mind for now as she left the bank, she went back to thinking how stupid these people will feel when she walks in the bank with Thom E. Gemcity.

The next day, Abby came into work early to catch McGee alone so she could get him to cosign for her as Thom E Gemcity. When she got to the bullpen, the only person there was Tony.

"xHey Tony, whatcha doing? Why are you in here so early" she asked?

"Hey Abbs, not doing much of anything right now and I'm in early because every since McSherlock started coming in extremely early to work on cold cases, it's the only way I will catch a glimpse of him or Ziva before they were out in the field" Tony replied.

Feeling jealousy rear its ugly head, Abby asked "so why is Ziva in so early?"

"Well, NCIS regulations prohibit agents from going out into the field alone so Ziva voluntarily comes in early so Probie won't be held up waiting for someone to come in at normal hours."

"But what made McGee start coming in so early? He was the first one in almost every morning anyway, why would he start coming in even earlier?

"I think because it's so quiet with no one else around, he is better able to concentrate on the cold cases and connect the clues that had been missed previously. He doesn't have anyone distracting him so he can really zone in and focus."

The two of them smirked at each other knowing they were two of his biggest distractions.

"Anyway" Tony continued, "by the time Ziva comes in, McGee has already gone through 2 or 3 cold cases and found some new leads. She barely has time to boot up her computer before they are out the door following up on those new leads."

With jealousy still rearing its ugly head, Abby snaps off "Why does he always take Ziva?"

Tony gives her a look but answers her question. "Because neither me nor the boss is in that early and Ziva is. As I said before, she started coming in earlier so Probie would have a partner to go out with him to follow up on leads."

Tony and Abby had been talking for a while and didn't notice Gibbs come in and sit at his desk, listening in on the conversation.

"Why does boss man allow him to do that" she asked?

"Why wouldn't he allow him to do that" Tony replied? "Probie is doing really good work. He is doing everything by the book. He is closing cold cases at an amazing rate. There is no reason for boss not to support him and that goes for me too" Tony finished.

"What do you mean that goes for you too"

"As SFA, I am expected to know exactly what is going on at all times. Boss runs the team but I am responsible for those two. I need to be able to let the boss know where they are, what they are doing, when was the last time they checked in and be able to update him on whatever case they are currently working on. As painful as it is for me to admit, Probie is doing an outstanding job of checking in regularly and keeping me updated so I can brief boss with the most current information. As I said, he is doing a great job. Why would we want to hold him back?"

Abby was frustrated. For the past 3 months, she had barely seen McGee and those times had been brief. He was either on his way out into the field with Ziva or he and Ziva was coming in with a dirtbag they were going to interrogate. There had been no time for her and McGee to just sit and talk. He never came down to her lab anymore. At first, she thought he was intentionally avoiding her but listening to Tony, she now knew that he had been doing his job and apparently doing it well. What make it worse was he was doing his job with Ziva. Without another word, Abby turned and left to go back down to her lab. Tony looked over at Gibbs, Shrugged his shoulders, and went back to working on the report he was supposed to have turned in 2 days ago. Gibbs on the other was wondering what was going on with Abby. He liked the way Tony had handled the situation. The things Tony had said to her made him proud. He made a mental note to check up on her to see what was going on.

A little after the lunch hour, Abby came back up into the bullpen looking for McGee again.

Already knowing who she was looking for, Tony answered her question before she could ask it.

"Probie is not here Abbs."

Not being able to hide her frustration any longer, Abby started to vent.

"What, you mean he is still out chasing down leads from the case he went out on early this morning? I thought you said he was doing good work? I'm not a field agent but even I know it shouldn't take any agent this long."

Gibbs looked up sharply with a frown on his face. He didn't like what Abby said or the tone she used when saying it. Before he could address Abby, Tony beat him to it.

"First of all, he is doing a good job. Scratch that. He is doing an outstanding job. Secondly, Probie and Ziva actually caught the dirt bag from the case they went out on this morning. They brought him in, processed him, interrogated him and got a confession out of him. The marines have already come and picked him up to transport him to GITMO since he was one of theirs. Probie and Ziva are already out on another case chasing down another possible lead Probie was able to find. In other words, they are out doing their jobs and doing their job very well. Now, you can either tell me what's up with this attitude or you can go back down to your lab but what you are not going to do is stand here and bad mouth my agents because they are to busy doing their jobs and don't have time to stand around gossiping with you" Tony snapped.

To say Abby was stunned at the way Tony had just spoken to her would be the understatement of the year. Her eyes were wide and her bottom lip was quivering. Gibbs, on the other hand, thought his chest would explode with pride. This was the SFA he always knew Tony could be. This is the man and the agent he saw in him when he hired him away from the PD. It appears McGee's hard work was having good ripple effects on the rest of the team. He had never seen Ziva as happy as when she started helping McGee chased down dirt bags. She seemed to especially enjoy when McGee would explain how he came up with clues and put them together. Tony had also started to change for the better. He took more of an active role in leadership and had almost totally done away with his pranks. The team seemed to be a closer, tighter and more professional unit. He didn't know what was going on with Abby but he would just sit back and let his SFA handle it as he should. He hid his smile behind his coffee cup as he took another sip.

After realizing Gibbs wasn't coming to her defense, Abby finally was able to gather her wits about her.

"I'm sorry Tony, I've just really needed to talk to McGee but can never catch up with him at work or at home. I was just frustrated but I didn't mean to demean his work."

"It's ok Abbs and apology accepted. I apologize for snapping at you but Tim and Ziva have been busting their butts and to have anyone say anything negatively about them just sets me off. I know that's like the pot calling the kettle black because of the way I have treated Probie, but I have been and will continue to try to make that up to him. That guy is a special person and I let my petty jealousy get in the way seeing that. Well, my eyes are wide open now and I refuse to let him take any unnecessary grief from anyone including myself."

"Wow Tony, that's quite a revelation. What brought that on?"

Ducky and Jimmy had just come up to the bullpen from autopsy as Abby asked Tony this.

"It's pretty simple when you think about it Abbs. Name something that Probie wouldn't do for anyone of us" Tony looked around at Gibbs, Abby, Ducky and Jimmy when he said that, getting nods of agreement from each one before continuing.

"Literally, if I asked him for the shirt he was wearing, he would give it to me. If I call him at 2:00 am in the morning and say Probie I need to talk, he would be over at my apartment almost before I can hang up the phone. The thing that hit me the hardest Abbs is that he would gladly give up his life if it meant saving mine. He doesn't have to say it and he never will say it but I know it, you know it and he knows it. All the bad things I have done to him and he would still do that for me without hesitation. That kind of loyalty and friendship makes you take a long serious look at yourself. I might not be his best friend but he is my best friend and maybe the only true friend I have ever had. Yeah, that guy is pretty special."

Abby, who had tears in her eyes listening to Tony, had to agree with him. McGee is one special guy. Abby was just about to comment on what Tony had said when McGee and Ziva came in laughing their heads off. They both went to their desk and grabbed their chairs and rolled them over to Tony's desk. Tony loved this part when they came over to brief him. He had not asked them to do this. Tim had instituted this method of updating their SFA when they came into the bullpen. They sat down at Tony's desk still laughing hysterically.

Trying to speak around his laughter, Tim started the conversation.

"Wait to you hear this Tony, you are not going to believe it" then he dissolved into fits of laughter again as he looked over at Ziva and said "you tell him Ziva."

Gibbs, Tony and Abby were already shocked at seeing Ziva laugh this hard. She had tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard. Ziva attempted to call upon her training and pull herself together and then promptly lost it again and joined Tim in laughter. Gibbs was watching Tony with a big smile on his face. This was killing Tony. Something had happened that was this funny and his agents couldn't stop laughing long enough to let him in on it. He looked he was about to burst. Tony was twitching in his seat like a 3 year old that had to go to the bathroom really really bad. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on guys, you're killing me here. What happened" Tony shouted.

Finally Tim was able to get, somewhat, control of himself

"Ok Tony, Ok, so we're out at this farm where we had tracked this idiot too. We have him cornered. There is absolutely no place for him to run and both Ziva and I have our weapons trained on him."

Tony, on the edge of his seat says "yeah, yeah, and then what?"

None of Team Gibbs has noticed that the bullpen was quiet as everyone is listening to Tim tell his tale. The director is up on the catwalk also listening wanting to know what all the laughter was about. Tim continues his tale.

"So, Ziva tells him to stop being ridiculous and just lay face down on the ground so she could cuff him and we could get out of there." Tim starts chuckling again while looking at Ziva who has also starts chuckling.

"Cut it out guys" Tony screams, "Finish the story Probie."

The rest of team Gibbs starts chuckling at Tony's antics. They know this is killing Tony and they also know if Tim doesn't finish quickly, Ducky and Jimmy are going to be busy treating Tony's aneurism. Tim takes pity on Tony and continues.

"Ok, so according to his file, this guy is a male chauvinist so when Ziva told him that, it sets him off and he looks at her and says when pigs fly girlee and if you try to touch me, gun or no gun, I will break your arm."

Tim and Ziva looked at each other and broke out laughing again so hard that they each almost fell out of their chairs. Tony was fit to be tied. No one knew how much longer he would be able to last before he exploded. Tim straightened up and looking at Tony continued.

"The guy turned to run and tripped over a pig that had walked up behind him and went flying through the air and land face down in the dirt."

The whole bullpen broke up. There was laughter everywhere. Even Gibbs, who usually able to contain himself laughed out loud. When the bullpen was getting itself back together, Tony was the first to speak even though it was very difficult for him as hard as he was laughing.

"No Freaking Way Probie. That did not happen and how come I wasn't there when it happened. By the way, where is the dirt bag?"

Tony's question set Tim and Ziva off again and Tony's eyes got wide.

"You mean there's more" he asked? "Tell me, tell me right now Probie or I swear I'll, I'll, well I don't know what I'll do but you better tell me right now."

Ok, Ok, the dirt bag is at hospital, now wait for it Tony, when he tripped and fell over the pig, he broke his arm."

That was it, everyone lost it. Never had there been such an uproar of laughter in the bullpen. Tony did fall out of his chair this time along with several other agents. The director had to hurry into his office before he embarrassed himself in front of his troops. He had an image to maintain after all. When he closed the door, his assistant smiled as she could hear the belly laugh coming from inside the director's office. Gibbs tried his best to be inconspicuous as he wiped a tear off of his face. It would seriously hurt his tough as nails image if it got out that Gibbs laughed so hard that he cried. As much as she didn't want to because she was still dealing with her jealousy issue, Abby could not contain her laugher either. It took a while for the bullpen to get itself under control. Again, Tony was the first to speak.

"I'm calling your bluff Probie that did not happen!"

Smiling evilly, Tim got up and walked over to his computer. He hooked his phone up to his computer and sent the pictures to the plasma. Everyone looked up at the screen and lost it again as picture after picture of the dirt bag on the ground holding his arm with a pig tangled up in his legs was shown in various stages. Tony, again, fell out of his chair and had tears pouring down his face. He couldn't remember ever having laughed this hard. When Tim finally took the pictures off the plasma, Agents started slapping him on the back as they were going back to their desks telling him that has got to be the story of the year. Everyone was finally back at their desk and things were about as back to normal as they were going to get. There was still the occasional chuckle or outright belly laugh as agents remembered their favorite parts of the story but the bullpen was calm again. Tim had come back over to Tony's desk to sit down and looking at him, Tony smiled and addressed Tim.

"Ok Probie, I have to admit, hands down, that was the best story ever."

Before Tim could comment, Abby approached him.

"Hey Timmy, I haven't seen you or Ziva in ages. When are you going to have time so we can catch up? I really need to talk to you about something very important."

"Well, Abbs, Ziva and I have to update Tony first, and then we have to go over to the hospital and get our suspect once they have the cast on his arm. When we get back, we have to process him and do the interrogation and finally we have to type up our reports so I don't think I will be able to talk to you today."

Tony, seeing the look on her face and remembering their earlier conversation took pity on her and decided he would do something he really didn't want to do. He was going to let McGee skip the update and go talk to Abby. He really didn't want to do it because number 1, he enjoyed when the three of them got to talk about the day's events and cases. Number 2, it was better when they both updated him because one of them always remembered something the other had forgot which made for a complete and detailed update.

"Hey Probie, you can go ahead and talk to her if you want. Ziva can give me the update. Its better coming from both of you but Abby has really been trying to discuss something with you and no, I don't know what it is but I leave it up to you."

Tim turned and looked at Abby and saw her biting her lip and made a quick decision.

"All right Abbs, I'm all yours. Let's go down to your lab so we can chew the fat" Tim said as he walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Smiling brightly, Abby put her arm around his waist as they started walking toward the elevators. The rest of the team smiled as they could hear Abby talking a mile a minute. They could not see her face but they could hear the happiness in her voice as she finally got a chance to talk to her friend. When the elevator had taken them down to the lab, Ziva turned to look at Tony with a question on her face.

"Yes Ziva" Tony inquired?

"I know for a fact that McGee has changed his eating habits. He only eats healthy foods now. Why would he deliberately stop eating healthy and start chewing fat just to have a conversation with Abby?"

Well, that was all she wrote for Tony. He was on the floor again. Ducky had to sit down before he fell down and jimmy was bent over the desk hiding his face in his arms. Gibbs was trying valiantly to contain his mirth and was failing badly. He might have succeeded if he had not looked over at Ziva and saw the puzzled look on her face. He jumped up out of his chair and mumbled something about coffee and practically ran out of the bullpen before he embarrassed himself. Everyone could hear a suspicious bark of laughter come from the hall Gibbs had just disappeared into. Looking over at Tony and smiling, Ducky saw that poor Anthony was not going to be any good to anyone the rest of the day. Pulling himself together, Ducky got up and always the gentleman walked over to Ziva and held out his hand to assist her in standing.

"Ziva my dear, would you care to accompany me to autopsy for a spot of tea and I shall attempt to explain the term chewing the fat to you."

Taking Ducky's hand, Ziva rose with a smile on her face "Yes Ducky, I think I would enjoy that very much."

"Come Mr. Palmer; let's not dally any longer than we already have.

"I'm right behind you Dr. Mallard "Jimmy said with a big smile on his face.

Tony, who had been under his desk laughing after Ziva's latest mix up of American idiom, finally came up from under his desk and looked around finding the bullpen empty.

"Hey, where did everybody go?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Taking Control Adventure Series!**

 **Tim continues his new work focus with some fun along the way.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2: I don't own NCIS or their characters. To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Loans and Moans! Chapter 2**

 _Abby's Lab_

Laughing, Tim takes a look at the clock and sees he has been down here chatting with Abby much to long

"Ok Abb's, I really have to go. I think we are caught up so what was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I need you to come down to my bank with me and cosign on a loan. The bank manager says they have some kind of new rule that says coworkers can't cosign but I was thinking if you cosigned as Thom E. Gemcity they would have to give me the loan because Thom E Gemcity is not my coworker, Tim McGee is. So Thom, when can you come down to cosign for me?

Abby had been so lost on in her own plan that she had not seen Tim frowning when she first requested that he cosign. Abby had no idea that Tim was thinking there was no way in hell he would ever cosign anything with her as Tim McGee and especially not at Thom E Gemcity. Why would she think he would do that. She had already borrowed money from him that she had no intention of paying back. Tim started getting angry. Why did she think he was her personal property to do with as she pleased? He had spent his life doing things the correct way so that he would be able to reap the rewards of his sacrifice in his adult hood while she had partied and destroyed her credit history. Now, she wanted another free ride on his sweat with the possibility of her destroying what he had built if she didn't pay back the loan. Oh hell no.

"No Abby" McGee said as he got up and started walking out of the lab.

Abby started following him not comprehending what he was telling her. The possibility that he would say no had never entered her head.

"What do you mean no" she asked him.

Tim stopped and turned around and looked her in the eyes.

"What I mean Abby is that I am not going to cosign anything with you as Timothy McGee or as Thom E Gemcity" he stated clearly.

"But, I don't understand. Why wouldn't you do this for me? I don't understand.

"I'm sure it's difficult for you to understand right now Abby but here's the thing, you don't have to understand. All you need to know is that I'm not going to cosign anything with you so you need to go ask someone else. There is no sense in you trying to badger me about it because there is nothing you can say or do that will make me change my mind."

As Abby's plan fell apart with that one little word uttered by McGee, she tried make sense out of it. McGee never said no to her. Why is he saying no to her? What is happening? She tried desperately to put coherent thoughts together but her mind couldn't comprehend that McGee had said no to her.

"But why not Timmy, I don't understand" she whined.

"Abby, I'm done with this conversation. You asked me for something. I said no. As far as I'm concerned this conversation is over and this subject is definitely closed. Now I have work to do. Excuse me."

McGee again turned and started to leave the lab. He took the stairs so he could cool off before getting to the bullpen. Abby, still not accepting that he had turned her down followed him. Tim came out into the bullpen but was not quite able to hide his frustration. Gibbs was back at his desk with his new coffee and Ziva was over at Tony's desk finishing the update.

"You ready to go Ziva" Tim asked?

All three agents looked up at him as he could not quite keep the anger out of his voice. Just as Ziva was asking him if he was all right, Abby came out of the stairwell walking over to McGee.

"McGee, you can't just say a conversation is over and walk out like that. I wasn't done talking."

Ignoring Abby, Tim once again addressed Ziva.

"Come on Ziva, let's go get out suspect from the hospital" he stated as he went over to his desk, got his badge, gun and gear and started walking out of the bullpen.

"McGee" Gibbs called out to him.

"Yeah boss" he answered.

"Something you want to tell me" Gibbs asked?

"No boss" he answered and then as he was leaving he asked "you coming Ziva?"

After his last question to Ziva, he was gone. Ziva had to scramble to get her badge, gun and gear and run after Tim before he left her. Seeing the mood he was in, she had no doubt he would do just that. Gibbs and Tony were floored. What the hell had happened to put McGee in this mood. They both turned to look at Abby at the same time. Tony was hot. His Probie had been in a good mood until he went to the lab with Abby and now he couldn't wait to get out of the building. Tony got up and went to stand in front of Abby.

"What the hell did you do to my Probie" he yelled.

Abby was actually afraid. Tony had never yelled at her and he had never looked at her the way he was looking at her right now.

"Dinozzo, stand down" Gibbs barked.

"No boss. You saw Probie. He was doing his normal great job and he was happy. That is, he was happy until he returned from Abby's lab. She did something or said something to put him in that mood and I want to know what it was" Tony snapped.

Gibbs got up out of his chair and went and stood in front of Abby facing Tony.

"Are you disobeying a direct order from your superior" Gibbs asked him quietly?

But Tony was not intimidated "I am if that order is for me not to investigate what is going on with a member of this team" Tony said just as quietly.

They stood there toe to toe neither one budging until a voice from up above shouted down

"Gibbs, Dinozzo, my office, NOW!"

Tony turned and stalked up the stairs as Gibbs turned to Abby and told her to go down to her lab. He then followed Dinozzo up to Vance's office. There was nothing as explosive as an office with three very angry men in it. Vance started off trying to control his anger.

"We are going to sit here and attempt to have an intelligent conversation like three professional agents should be able to do. If we are not able to do that, then we will resort to acting like kids and I will take my ball and go home while I have security throw the both of you into lock up until you are able to have that conversation. Have I made myself clear?"

There was quiet in the director's office.

"That was not a rhetorical question gentlemen."

"Yes sir, you have made yourself very clear director" Tony said.

"Yeah Leon, crystal clear" Gibbs answered.

"Good, now let's start with why the team lead of my MCRT and the SFA of that same MCRT were standing toe to toe as though blows were about to be traded. And let me be clear about this gentlemen, I'm not in the mood for the company line of 'this is a team matter' BS. I don't care if you want to call squealing, tattling, being rat or whatever, I either get answers or you two get locked up. Those are your only options. Now who wants to start?"

Tony cleared his throat.

"Well director, everything was fine. Tim and Ziva had just got through updating us on an idiot uh, I mean suspect." All three men couldn't help but smile remembering McGee's story. "Abby had been anxious to speak to McGee. She had come in early this morning hoping to catch him but he and Ziva had already left to chase down a lead. McGee and Ziva were getting ready to update me on their current cold cases when I looked up and saw Abby with an anxious look on her face so I excused Tim and told him he could go talk to Abby and Ziva would give me the update. When they left, everything was fine. When McGee returned from the lab, he a thunderous look on his face and he couldn't get out of the building fast enough. His whole attitude had taken a 180 degree turn for the worse. Abby followed him up from the lab and tried to talk to him; something about he can't just leave in the middle of a conversation. That tells me that she was saying something he did not want to hear. Not only did he not want to hear it but it had really pissed him off. Boss tried to talk to him and he basically blew him off. That's when I knew it was really serious. Tim has just as much respect for boss as I do and would never do anything like that unless something was seriously wrong. McGee just got his badge, gun and gear and told Ziva they were going to hospital to get their suspect. And then he just left director. I kind of lost it and got in Abby's face to make her tell me what she had done. That's when boss requested I stand down but I wouldn't do it until Abby told me what had happened. That's when boss came and got in between Abby and I."

Vance was impressed with Tony but he needed Gibbs to understand why Tony had stood up to him like he had.

"Agent Dinozzo, why did you ignore Agent Gibbs' order to stand down?"

"The conversation you had with me director. You said I had the makings of a great team lead but I first needed to learn how to be a great SFA. You said a SFA can't just go along with everything his team lead says because they are human which means they can be wrong and have blind spots. You told me that the hardest part of an SFA job is when he has to go against the team lead for the betterment of the team. I finally understood what you were trying to tell me director. Boss, you have a blind spot when it comes to Abby. If anyone else had harmed McGee in any way, I would have had to pull you off of them but because it was Abby you automatically came to her defense."

"Gibbs" Vance began, listening to what agent Dinozzo has described, your actions appear to be the actions of a father protecting his daughter rather than a team lead trying to diffuse a potential explosive situation. Think about it Gibbs. Do you really think agent Dinozzo would ever physically harm Ms. Scuito? There was no reason for you to get between them placing yourself nose to nose with the one person you trust above all others to have your six. But speaking from a father's perspective, there is every reason for a father to get in the face of any man who dare threatens his daughter. Agent Dinozzo while I am impressed by your actions and applaud you standing up for your team, do you think there might have been a better a place to have that conversation with Ms. Scuito? Part of being a top SFA is being able to make wise decisions, even when you are in the right and tempers are flaring. The team lead and SFA complement each other. Agent Dinozzo, your team lead weaknesses are your strengths. You have the tougher role as you are the one that actually holds the team together. But know this, I have watched you mature into one of the most promising SFA's in the agency. Keep following your instincts and protecting your team and I have no doubt you will be one of the best the agency has ever produced. I want you two to always remember one simple thing. You both want the same thing which is whatever is best for the team. Whatever is best for the people on that team who have your six. You two are going to have to work out how to make that happen. I'm done. Go on, get out here. You two have a team to fix."

Both Gibbs and Tony got up slowly leaving the director's office with a lot on their minds.

Gibbs had just received the wakeup call of his life. First with Tony going to nose to nose with him to protect McGee and then with the director pointing out that his actions were not that of a team lead but those of a father. Both he and Tony were right. He didn't even know what had happened. He just automatically jumped in to protect Abby. Looking at it objectively now, he could see what Tony saw. Their young agent, who was doing an incredible job, was happy and enjoying life and then he came from Abby's lab mad enough to chew nails. Tony was right. Looking at it as an investigator, Abby had said something to make him mad enough to leave her lab right in the middle of a conversation. McGee was polite to a fault. He just didn't do things like that. Tony was right again when it came to how much McGee respected him. McGee would rather cut his arm off than disrespect him. He was so proud of Tony. He had stood up to him because he knew he had a blind spot when it comes to Abby. He had protected McGee from the boss without hesitation and without a thought of what the repercussion would be to him. Tony had done his job as SFA perfectly. Gibbs thought he had better get his crap together before he lost the best team ever.

Tony couldn't get over the director not only standing by him, as he said he would, but also praising him for protecting his teammate against the boss. I guess there is a lot more to being a SFA than just going around pounding yourself on the chest saying I'm very special. He wanted to be what the director thought he could be. One of the top SFA's and team leads ever. He could see it would take hard work but he was not afraid of hard work. He already had the best team ever. Now he just needed to figure out a way to apologize to the boss. How do you apologize to someone who thinks an apology is a sign of weakness. Well, I guess that's the tough part of being an SFA the director was talking about; figuring out the balance between your subordinates and your superior's.

Meanwhile, Ziva had been trying to get McGee to talk with no luck.

"Tim, pull over into that empty lot" Ziva ordered.

Tim pulled over and then got out of the car and walked around to the back and leaned back on it with his arms folded across his chest staring straight ahead. Ziva gave a deep sigh and got out of the car and went around to the back and stood directly in front of McGee. He looked right through her. She unfolded his hands, stepped into his space and put his hands around her back. She wrapped her hands around his waist and rested her head against his chest and waited. During the 3 months they had been dating, Ziva had learned very quickly that Tim could not resist her. It was a power she had over him that she did not take lightly. She would never use that power to hurt him in any way. The amazing thing she discovered was that he had the same power over her. She could not resist him. He alone, made her feel safe. Wrapped in his arms, the nightmares, that had given her many sleepless nights, never came. She was proud that he had that power over her because she knew he would never use it to hurt her. What she had been waiting for finally came. Tim buried his face in her neck and squeezed her tight. Ziva had discovered that when he realized that the person he wanted in his arms was actually in his arms, it would calm him down and bring him back from whatever dark place his mind was in. It was actually Tim who had, unknowingly, taught her this. Whenever she would space out or be in a bad place, he wouldn't talk to her. He would just hold her. It didn't matter where she was, he would just situate her into his arms and hold her.

"Tim, can we talk about this" Ziva asked him? She could feel him smile into her neck which made her smile.

"No, you know the rules" he stated.

Ziva cursed in Hebrew which got a chuckle out of him. One of their main rules for keeping their relationship a secret was no touching each other, talking to each other or looking at each other in any way other than a work related professional way while working. This automatically told Ziva that whatever Abby had done to upset him had been of a personal nature. What they were doing right now was actually breaking that rule but Ziva would rather have the whole world know of their relationship than let him go another second in misery. Tim looked down into her eyes as she looked up at him. He reversed their positions and picked her up sitting her on the car trunk. He then walked between her legs and proceeded to kiss her senseless. Ziva started moaning as she wrapped her legs around him and wrapped her arms around his neck. They were lost in each other. Finally, Tim lifted his head.

"Let's go get this scum bag so we can hurry and process and interrogate him and head home. I want to take a very long bath with you."

Smiling, Ziva said "What are we waiting for, I will drive."

Tim groaned but gave her the keys and said a silent prayer for safety.

When Tim and Ziva arrived in the bull pen with their suspect, Tim told Ziva to take him to interrogation room 1 and he would be in with her shortly. As Ziva took the suspect down the hall to interrogations, Tim walked over to Gibbs desk.

"Boss just wanted to apologize for earlier. I know that's breaking rule 6 but I'm doing it anyway." Tim turned toward Tony's desk and was about to walk over there when Gibbs spoke.

"You want to tell me what's going on now" Gibbs asked.

Tim didn't even look back as he kept walking over to Tony's desk "No boss."

"Tony I just wanted to apologize for storming out earlier. That was rude and inconsiderate of me to treat you that way."

Smiling, Tony said "forget about it Tim, we all need to blow off some steam sometimes.

"Thanks Tony. When we are through in interrogations, Ziva and I will come and update you."

Tim turned and went down the same hall Ziva had taken.

Gibbs looked over at Tony "why didn't you ask him what happened between he and Abby?"

"If he wants to tell me, he will when he is ready. Why didn't you ask Abby" Tony responded?

Tony's answer and subsequent question caught Gibbs off guard. Why hadn't he asked Abby?

Gibbs looked over at Tony again and began to speak "Dinozzo, we can't go on like this. We have to find some common ground"

"I know that boss. But until you are able to see past your blind spot with Abby, We are going to have problems" Tony said.

"We established that already. I don't see how that comes into play with me asking McGee a simple question."

"Look at it this way boss. It took Probie and Ziva over 2 hours to go get their suspect and bring him back here. That's over 2 hours for you to go down to the lab and get your answers from Abby. But you didn't. Not even 2 minutes after Tim walks in the room you jump on him and ask him about it. You don't see anything wrong with that?"

Gibbs was stunned. Tony laid it out to him in a way that there was no denying what he had done. Gibbs abruptly got up and mumbled something about coffee before leaving the bull pen. Tony sat there trying to figure out how he was supposed to mend his broken team. Actually, the team was not broken. Probie had already showed he held no ill will toward any of them with the exception of Abby of course. The problem was with Gibbs and Abby. As long as Probie was on the outs with Abby, it would automatically put him on the outs with Gibbs. What the hell was he going to do?

When Gibbs came back to the bullpen, McGee and Ziva were sitting at Tony's desk updating him on the day's activities. They were laughing and joking as they updated him. This had been the norm for the past 3 months. Gibbs stood there, just out of there sight, and listened. McGee and Ziva were giving Tony an in depth detailed brief as they normally did. They joked as they briefed but the brief was professional and complete. He was proud of the way they were interacting. Even though they were more like brother, brother and sister, McGee and Ziva gave Tony the respect of being the SFA. As they finished the brief, Gibbs walked in.

"Everyone meet down in the forensics lab in 5 minutes" he barked before walking back out.

Both Tony and Ziva turned to look at Tim. The look he had on his face earlier was back. Ziva was pissed. She had finally gotten Tim back to his normal self and just like that it was gone. Tony was also upset. Would Gibbs ever stop just springing things on them without talking to him first to see if it is the best idea? Didn't he realize that he was closer to them and would know what frame of mind they were in? As the trio got up to go downstairs, nothing was said. When they arrived at the lab, they saw Gibbs had also grabbed Ducky and Palmer. McGee walked over to a wall a little away from the group and leaned back on it with his arms crossed over his chest. Ziva knew this nonchalant looking posture well. She smirked; whatever Gibbs thought he was going to get out of McGee was doomed to fail. This was Tim's 'I'm not saying a word' posture.

Noticing where Tim was leaning against the wall, Gibbs snarled "you want to join us McGee?'

Not moving, Tim replied "I can hear just fine right here."

"Wasn't a question McGee" Gibbs snapped.

"I don't care what it was, I can still hear just fine right here. And if this is what I think it is, I won't be here long anyway."

With the exception of Ziva, everyone is stunned at the way Tim is talking back to Gibbs. Even Gibbs is taken aback by McGee's defiance of his order. Gibbs decides to let it go, after all, he is the one that put McGee in this mood. So he starts things off.

"We have a problem" he starts. "Something happened between Abby and McGee today and McGee refuses to talk about it. It's affecting the team, so it needs to be brought out in the open so it can be dealt with. Care to enlighten us McGee?"

McGee ignores Gibbs and just stares into space. Ducky and Palmer are growing concerned for McGee. They both think that McGee's behavior is preliminary signs of depression. They have no way of knowing that Tim is far from depression. As a matter of fact, he is probably the calmest and most sound person in the room. His reason for not answering Gibbs is quite simple. It's none of their business. It's a personal matter between him and Abby and that's it. Also, Gibbs lied. It is not affecting the team. It only affects Gibbs because Abby is not happy she is not getting her way. Tim has had enough and starts to leave. Gibbs starts after him but Ziva stops him and asks him to let her try. Ziva catches up with Tim but cannot do what she wants to do because the others are watching. She almost reaches for him and catches herself in time and puts her hands behind her back.

"Tim, will you please come back?"

Ziva's voice stops Tim. She speaks softly so the others can't hear their conversation.

Tim turns and looks into Ziva's eyes and sees the message she is trying to convey to him. He does not want to talk about his personal business, especially this. It's none of their business and nothing is going to change. Abby is going to whine and he is never going to cosign anything for her.

"Tim, please come back for me"

"Ok Ziva, for you" he acknowledges.

They came back over to the group and Tim goes back to his wall and gets back into the same position as before. Gibbs glares at him but says nothing. Abby, thinking Gibbs will make McGee cosign for her speaks up.

"If Timmy doesn't want to talk about it, I'll tell you what happened. I asked him to come down to my bank and cosign a loan for me and he refused. Can you believe that, he said no to me for no reason" Abby ranted.

Everyone is shocked. All of this drama is because McGee exercised his right to say no to Abby? Everyone there knows that Abby's credit history is trash. They also know that as much as they love her, she is a very bad risk to cosign anything with her. The bottom line is they are here because McGee used common sense and sound judgment and told Abby no. As much as Gibbs still wants to defend Abby, he knows he can't. He also now knows why McGee is so angry with him. He really screwed the pooch on this one. He still couldn't understand why McGee didn't just tell him. He would have understood.

"McGee, why didn't you just tell me about this" Gibbs said. "I would have supported you on this."

McGee pushed himself off the wall and walked over to stand in front of Gibbs.

"I didn't tell you because of one simple reason" he started. It's none of your damn business" he snarled. "This has got nothing to do with any of you. Abby asked me a question on a personal matter, I said no. That's it. It was between Abby and I. Contrary to what you believe boss, you don't have to know everything and I don't have to tell you everything."

Abby, who had been shocked into silence every since Gibbs had told McGee he would have supported him, started up with her mantra of not understanding why he wouldn't do it.

"But Timmy, I still don't understand why you won't do it?" You never gave me a reason. You just said no. I don't understand why you would say no to me" she whined.

Tim had just about had enough of this circus freak show. Very quietly, he asked Abby

"Do you really want to do this here?"

Anyone else hearing McGee's tone of voice would have backed off immediately knowing if it went any further, it would not be good for whoever he had just spoken to. Unfortunately, Abby didn't have that sense of self preservation and immediately said

"Yeah Timmy, I want to do this here and now. Now tell me why" she demanded?

"Ok Abby, but just remember, I tried my best to avoid this."

"First of all, you never asked me. You told me I was going to come down to your bank and cosign a loan for you. Who the hell do you think you are? I'm not your personal property, your personal play thing, or your easy access bank. I'm a grown man with my own life to live. I'm not at your beck and call."

"Now, why don't you tell everyone in the room how many times you have borrowed money from me?"

Abby now saw where this was going and immediately regretted forcing Tim into answering her. She didn't look at anyone and she did not answer the question.

Tim continued "No answer huh. Ok Abby, how about you tell everyone how much money you have borrowed from me over the last 5 years. It doesn't have to be exact, just ball park."

Abby kept her head down and didn't say anything.

"Still no answer? Let's do an easy one this time. Please tell everyone how much of that money you borrowed you have paid back?"

Abby, with her head still down had started sniffling.

"Come on Abby, how hard is it to say none?"

Gibbs could never stand to see Abby crying and jumped in

"Ok McGee, that's enough. You've made your point."

Tim saw red and shouted "No Gibbs, it's not enough. It was enough when you asked me if I had something to tell you and I said no. It was enough when I got back and you asked me if I was going to tell you now and I said no. It was enough when you got this idiot idea to call us all down here together and it was enough when you had a chance to tell her to let it go when she kept badgering me to tell her. That's when it was enough Mr. Know it all Gibbs. But now that you have pestered me and pestered into talking about it, no, it's not enough. Let's talk about your little angel over there. The one you would force me to take to clubs. How about we talk about her actions at those clubs Gibbs? Let's see how much of an angel you think she is when we talk about that Gibbs?"

Finally looking up, Abby looked at McGee and said "Please don't Timmy, I'm sorry."

Tim looked over at Abby and realized he had hurt her and was about to hurt her even more for no reason. He never wanted to hurt her which is why he refused to talk about it. He was afraid that what had just happened would happen. He felt disgusted with himself. He just turned and started to leave. As he was leaving, very quietly he addressed Tony.

"Tony, I'm taking the rest of the day off. I don't know if I'll be in tomorrow or the rest of the week. I'll call you and update you. You can brief the boss" and then he was gone.

"Ok Probie" Tony said quietly but he was talking to air as McGee had already gone.

With the exception of Abby's sniffling, the lab was totally quiet. Ziva was suffering in silence. Between holding back the tears for the hurt that she knew Tim was feeling and holding herself back from flying out of the lab to comfort her man, she wasn't sure if she would make it. Tony didn't think he had ever been this angry. They had forced Tim to do something that went against every fiber of his being. They had forced him to hurt another person's feelings. Not just anyone but someone he cared about. No matter how much Abby had been hurt by what was said, he knew what Tim was feeling right now was that ten-fold. He didn't even know how to approach his Probie to try to help him get past this. Glaring at Gibbs, Tony went back up to the bullpen followed by Ziva. Ducky thought his heart was breaking. That poor lad had been through so much and to force him to do this. There was no way Ducky was going to let that young man, whom he looked on as a grandson, be alone with the grief and hurt he was feeling. He especially wanted to take his vitals but more than that he wanted to just sit with the lad and offer whatever comfort to him he could.

"Come Mr. Palmer, we must get autopsy in order so I can leave early and go check on the lad."

Jimmy, who had been in a daze, was wondering how anyone could hurt sweetest, kindest person he had ever met in his life. It took a lot to get Jimmy hot and right now he was like an infernal. Tim just did not deserve this. He snapped out of his musing when he heard Ducky call his name.

"Coming Dr. Mallard" he answered. As he was leaving, he was shooting daggers at Gibbs and Abby.

Gibbs looked over at Abby who was still sniffling. She looked a lost little girl. Gibbs walked over to her and put his arms around her and that was all it took. She wrapped her arms around his waist and broke down. She cried so hard that she was not able to support herself anymore. Gibbs picked her up and went over to her chair and sat down with her in his lap and let her get it all out of her system. He would wait until she was done and then have Ducky come and check on her before he left to go check on McGee. As he was comforting Abby, Gibbs hung his head in shame. Yep, he had screwed the pooch royally on this one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Taking Control Adventure Series!**

 **Tim is upset with himself so he decides to spend some time at one of his favorite places.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2: I don't own NCIS or their characters. To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Loans and Moans!**

 **Chapter 3**

 _Baltimore Aquarian_

Tim wandered around the Aquarian letting the different sights soothe him. He always loved going to the Aquarian. The different species of fish and mammals was amazing. You had amphibians, birds, bony fish, cartilaginous fish, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles. How could you not like the Aquarian? He could just stroll through with no plan or purpose and watch, not only the animals but also the amazement on the children faces. This is how the world is supposed to be he thought looking at the children. No demands on you or hidden agendas. Just the wonder of seeing the wonderful things God has created. His phone rang disturbing his peace and he was tempted not to answer it but he looked and saw it was from Ziva.

"Hey Ziva." He answered.

"Tim" she said breathlessly. "I am at your apartment and you are not here? Where are you?

"How do you know I'm not in my apartment Ziva?" he asked slowly.

Ziva didn't want to answer but knew she had to since she was pretty sure he already knew.

"I uh, well, I uh, I knocked and you would not answer and I was worried so I picked the lock and came in." she said quietly.

Tim had to suppress a chuckle as he wanted her to think he was upset about that a little longer.

"Let me get this right." He said in an accusing voice. "You, special agent Ziva David, a federal agent, broke into my apartment for no reason other than to satisfy your own curiosity as to why I did not answer a knock on my door?"

Ziva was not fooled by Tim. She knew he could care less if she picked his lock. He had already told her he was getting her a key. She was warmed by the fact that he felt well enough to tease her as he usually did. That meant he was in a good mood and not sitting somewhere blaming himself for what had happened earlier. She figured she would play along with him.

"But you must understand McGee, it was an emergency." She replied trying to keep the giggle out of her voice.

"An emergency huh! Well let's hear what this so-called emergency was agent David and then we'll see if it required you to become a fugitive of the law." He stated.

"Well," Ziva started making her voice husky and sexy. I was at my boyfriend's apartment because I had this itch that needed to be scratch. I have learned that he is the only one who can scratch it. The door stood in the way of me getting to the one person who, very effectively, scratches this itch on a regular basis." She finished.

Tim had not moved since Ziva had started talking about scratching an itch. As a matter of fact, he was trying to remember how to breathe. Damn, how does it go, up and down, no that's not right. Side to side, no that's not right either. In and out, yeah, that sounds right. That's how you're supposed to breathe. Tim started smiling thinking about the beautiful woman who was on the other end of this call.

"Ok," he said laughing. "You win."

He heard Ziva chuckling on the other end before she began speaking again.

"Where are you Tim?"

"I'm at the Baltimore Aquarium." He answered.

Ziva started smiling at his answer. Her man was one of a kind. He didn't need to go hit a punching bag or get stinking drunk when he was upset. He simply went to where he could relax and enjoy his surroundings.

"May I join you?" she asked.

"Of course, you can beautiful. I will purchase you a ticket. Just give them your name when you get here. I'll wait for you at the front." He instructed.

"I will be there shortly." She replied.

"Ziva"

'Yes Tim"

"I'm not going anywhere. I have put what happened at work behind me. I know you were worried about me and I apologize for not contacting you to let you know I was all right. Listen to me carefully; there is no emergency. I am calm and at peace so please drive safely. The only thing that would upset me is if anything were to happen to my wonderful girlfriend so please take good care of her."

Choking back the sob in her throat, Ziva took a minute to answer so he wouldn't think she was upset. This was the only person she knew who could bring her to tears with his generous heart. He had gotten hurt by his teammates once again and he was worried about her. She sarcastically thanked Abby again for being an idiot and throwing him away. There would be no other women to come and hurt him. Tim belonged to her now and she was not stupid like the women before her. She knew she had a man who would move heaven and earth just to make her smile. She knew she had a man who would cut off his own left arm before he would hurt her. Yep, she knew what she had in Timothy McGee and the only way you were going to get him from her would be to pry him from her dead cold hands.

"Ok Timothy, I will obey the speed limits this once for you." She said.

"Thank you Ziva, see you soon." He said

"Bye Tim" Ziva said as she disconnected the call.

Back in the bullpen, things were not going as smoothly as Tony was sitting at his desk shooting glares at Gibbs. Gibbs knew Dinozzo was pissed at him so he tried to ignore his SFA angry looks. Gibbs also knew he had messed up badly on this one. His arrogant attitude of always being right had made him make the wrong move. It turned out McGee did know what he was doing by keeping quiet about it. McGee had warned them all too just drop it. He had warned himself and Abbs several times to just let it go. There was some tension on the team but it wasn't coming from Dinozzo, McGee or Ziva. They were doing excellent work and were working together as a team better than he had ever seen. Now that he could sit back and look at it objectively, he could see that he and Abby were the problem. McGee had every right to say no to Abby about co-signing anything. He also had the right to not explain why he was saying no. It was his good name, good reputation and good credit that he was being asked to put on the line. He was also right about it being none of their business. It was just as he had said; a personal request between friends and as such, it should be kept between those friends. Tim was right; it wasn't any of his damn business. But noooooo, I just couldn't leave it alone. I had to go call that stupid meeting and get the whole team upset. Damn!

"Dinozzo, where is Ziva?" Gibbs barked.

"How the hell should I know?" Tony snapped back.

"I'll let that slide as I know you're upset. I also know I messed up calling that meeting, but we are still a team and still have to be accountable." Gibbs stated.

Dinozzo swallowed the retort he was about to throw at Gibbs as he remembered the Director telling him that even when he is angry, and, in the right, he still must show professionalism.

"She was worried about McGee, hell, we were both worried about him but I'm the SFA so I couldn't leave since you had not come back yet. She went to try to find him and make sure he was ok." Tony stated as his phone started ringing.

"Dinozzo" he answered.

"Hey Tony" Tim greeted.

"Probie" Tony said excited. "Are you all right? Do you need anything? I can come to you right now." Tony rambled on and got a big smile on his face as he heard McGee chuckling at him.

Gibbs head had jerked toward Dinozzo as soon as he heard him say Probie. He got up and walked over to Tony's desk. He looked as though he wanted to snatch the phone out of Dinozzo's hand so he could talk to McGee but one look at Tony and he knew that would be a bad move. Tony knew that he wanted to talk to McGee but he was not going to let his Probie be subject to any more verbal abuse today.

"I'm fine Tony. I just needed to get out of there so I could clear my head." McGee stated.

"So, how is that going? Tony asked.

"That's why I was calling. Well, that and I told you I would call you." McGee chuckled.

Tony liked the way McGee sounded. He seemed to have bounced back from the scene in autopsy and was back to his normal self.

"Ok, what you got for me? Tony asked.

"I'm going to take leave the rest of the week. I'm not depressed or anything. I'm just mad at myself for letting them make me angry enough to go off like that. I'm going to use the rest of the week to recalibrate myself so that doesn't happen again, and I don't need the daily stress while I'm doing that. I'll be in bright and early on Monday morning." Tim informed him.

"I understand Tim, but don't go blaming yourself for that foolishness. You did everything in your power to keep that situation from developing. It's not your fault we have busy bodies on the team who couldn't leave well enough alone." Tony stated while glaring at Gibbs.

"Yeah, I hear you Tony. I appreciate your support. Also, could you tell Ziva that I'm ok? If I know her she is probably out somewhere looking for me right now. Tim added to keep them off the track of their relationship.

Tony cracked up at how well they knew each other. His laughter made Tim laugh. After they recovered Tim started speaking again.

"Do you need me to send you the information for the leave Tony?" he asked.

"Nah Probie, I got you. I'll take care of it. By the way, where are you?" Tony asked.

Tim started chuckling again, "The Baltimore Aquarium."

Tony was really laughing now thinking 'yep, that's my Probie'. Gibbs was fit to be tied as Dinozzo continued his conversation with McGee while ignoring him. Dinozzo knew he wanted to talk to McGee but was making no move to give him the phone.

"Probie, that is just so you. It should have been the first place I thought of but probably would have been the last place I looked." Tony said still chuckling.

"I know right." McGee responded. "I'm going to go now but don't let anyone know Tony. I don't need to run into anyone from work right now." Tim requested.

"I got you Probie. Thanks for letting me know you were ok. I'll take care of everything else and I'll see you on Monday." Tony stated before disconnecting.

"Why didn't you give me the phone?" Gibbs barked as soon as Dinozzo disconnected the call. "You knew I wanted to talk to McGee."

"Two reasons boss, first; he called me not you and second; he didn't want to talk to you. Tony stated quietly.

"It doesn't matter what he wants, I'm his boss and he will talk to me whether he wants to or not." Gibbs shouted.

"Isn't that the same attitude that got us into this situation in the first place?" Tony asked as he got up and headed up to the director's office.

That statement froze Gibbs. Damn, he was right. What the hell? This was not normal behavior for him. What was he doing? What was he so angry about? McGee called his SFA and apparently explained everything to him to his satisfaction. He was even upset that he had hurt Abby even though it wasn't his fault. Yeah, Gibbs thought, I can admit to the fact that he and Abby pushed McGee into saying what he said. Gibbs was startled as he saw Dinozzo coming out of the Director's office. He had not noticed him going in. As Tony came down the stairs, Gibbs walked over to him.

"What were you doing in the Director's office?" he asked.

I was putting McGee on leave for the rest of the week. He will be back first thing Monday morning." Tony stated.

"Don't you think that's something you should run by me first Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked threateningly.

"Normally yes but seeing as you are the one who caused him to need the time off, I didn't think you should be the one to make that decision. I didn't do this as a way of trying to get back at you boss but sometimes, it's my job to protect everyone on the team. You probably would have denied Probie the leave just to make him come to work so you could corner him and try to make him talk to you even though we know he doesn't want to talk to you right now. There's a good chance that might have been the last straw for Probie and he might have made the decision to request a transfer. Do you want Probie transferred off the team Boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs did not answer. He just turned and left the bullpen. The answer though was no, he did not want to lose McGee off the team. But how could he make it right if McGee wouldn't talk to him. He knew they would have to talk eventually. He just wanted to talk now rather than later. He was also going to have to talk with Dinozzo. He was proud that he was finally taking his SFA role seriously, but it was also starting to interfere with the way he ran the team. Everything must go through him no matter what. Dinozzo went around him to the Director today. It wasn't so much as what it was for but that it had happened at all.

Ziva had finally made it to the Baltimore Aquarium. After stating her name and showing her ID, she was given her ticket and proceeded in. She looked around for Tim and finally found him watching her with a smile on his lips. Ziva sauntered over to him and grabbed the front of his coat lapels and proceeded to kiss the life out of him. When they came up for air, Tim stated.

"Well, I'm happy to see you too!" while smiling at Ziva.

Ziva smiled back at Tim after seeing for herself that he had indeed bounced back to his normal care free self. She put her arms around his neck and gave him a gentle loving kiss this time. Tim responded instantly, wrapping his arms around her waist while returning the kiss. After breaking the kiss and untangling, Tim took Ziva hand and led her through the aquarium. They stayed at the aquarium the rest of the day strolling slowly and enjoying the different animals and mammals they saw. Ziva had long ago taken Tim's hand and put it over her shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist so she could cuddle into his side. Tim had hugged her closer and kissed the side of her head as they began their stroll. Ziva's phone went off. She took it out of her pocket and looked to see who was calling her. She smiled as she showed it to McGee. Tim smiled and told her he told Tony to call her and tell you that I was alright, and you didn't need to look for me. Ziva chuckled at her devious boyfriend's ploy to keep them unaware of their relationship.

"Yes Tony" Ziva answered her phone.

"You can stop looking for Probie Ziva. He called me and he's all right." Tony reported happily.

Tim and Ziva had found a quiet spot where they were alone so she put the phone on speaker.

"That is good to hear. Where is he? Ziva asked keeping up the act.

"Well, he really doesn't want anyone to know but I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is in probably the safest place he could be." Tony said while chuckling.

"All right, I will see him tomorrow at work then." Ziva said.

"Well, actually you won't. He has taken leave for the rest of the week to sort of relax and reset "himself. He was a little upset with himself for letting those busybodies get to him, but he sounded good." Tony informed her.

"Do you think he would mind if I called him later to check on him?" Ziva asked.

"No Ziva, I don't think he would mind. I think he would prefer it, so he could put your mind at ease. He knows you would worry about him otherwise." Tony explained.

"Ok Tony, I will call him later. I am in Silver Spring so I will not come back to work today. By the time I get there it will be time to leave." Ziva advised him.

"Ok Ziva, I'll see you in the morning."

As Ziva hung up the phone and put it away, she smiled at Tim. They both stood to continue their stroll through the Aquarium. There were still many amazing things to see. Before they continued, Ziva backed Tim up against a wall in an isolated area and proceeded to kiss his socks off. When they came up for air, Tim had a goofy smile on his face that caused Ziva to start giggling. Tim looked at Ziva and stated.

"Not that I'm complaining because I'm not complaining at all but what was that for?" He asked.

Ziva just smiled and said "That was just to remind you that you are never alone. I will always be there for you no matter what. More importantly, I did that because you have the softest lips and there is nothing better to me than kissing you, making love to you and waking up in your arms."

Tim pulled Ziva back into his arms, turning the tables on her and proceeding to kiss her socks off this time figuratively leaving them both barefooted. When they came up for air, Tim looked into her beautiful eyes and said.

"I feel the exact same way Ziva. You are my miracle. I feel like I can do anything as long as I have you by my side."

Giving her one last loving kiss, they turned with their arms wrapped around each other and continued their sightseeing in companionable bliss.

Back at Abby's lab, Abby was still having trouble trying to catch her breath. Every time she thought about how close McGee had come to telling Gibbs about what really on at the clubs, her breathing to become erratic. It was bad enough that now everyone knew she had borrowed a lot of money from McGee and had never paid him back a dime. She had no intention of paying him back but she didn't want everyone to know it. She didn't know the exact amount of money she had borrowed from him but she knew it was an insane amount. She had messed up big time this time. She had a lot of things going on that relied on McGee. He was her cash cow when she needed money. When she didn't feel like working or just couldn't figure out the problem, she could have Gibbs send McGee down and he would do the work while she claimed the glory. When Gibbs made him take her to clubs, she and her friends could drink all night for free sticking Tim with the bill. Above all these things, the worst possible scenario would have been Gibbs finding out what she did at the clubs. But when had McGee found out? She was really careful to make sure he never saw what she was doing. He had never confronted her about it but the way he was talking left no doubt that he knew what she did at the clubs. That just made things really difficult for her. Gibbs could never know. She wouldn't be able to handle it if Gibbs looked at her in disgust. She was his angel and she loved the title. Normally she found a way to twist everything around and blame McGee but there was no way she could turn this one around. The whole team was there when she and Gibbs had badgered Tim until he snapped and let loose on them. He had tried from the beginning to just let it drop. He had tried to take the high road. Even in his agitated state he had given her one more chance to let it drop by asking her if she was sure she wanted to do this now. Her own cockiness clouded her judgment and basically forced McGee to open the floodgates. She had to figure out a way to get McGee back under control. But that was going to be a problem. Something had happened causing McGee to get a backbone. He wasn't afraid of Gibbs anymore. The way he had spoken to Gibbs earlier had proved that Gibbs didn't have that power over him anymore. Well, she knew McGee still cared for her. She could use that. Maybe she would sleep with him again to let him think there was a chance they would get back together. She knew he wasn't seeing anyone and if had been it wouldn't have mattered anyway. She would always have that control over McGee. Sleeping with McGee wasn't as bad as one might think. He had surprised her by being very good in the sack. He really knew his way around a woman's body. Abby started getting tingly remembering the last time she had slept with McGee. Yep, now she had a game plan. She would have to date McGee for a couple of weeks so she could get all of her bonuses back that came along with having McGee in love with her. Abby turned her music back up on blast and started dancing around her lab as she worked.

 _Ok folks, time for Tim and Ziva to get back to their adventures._


	4. Chapter 4

**Taking Control Adventure Series!**

 **Gibbs might be taking the first step into understanding his favoritism, maybe.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2: I don't own NCIS or their characters. To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Loans and Moans!**

 **Chapter 4**

 _Monday Morning_

Tim came into work very early as this is the new working hours he has made for himself. He goes through his morning routine and is deeply engrossed in a cold case by the time Ziva comes in 45 minutes later. Ziva smiles as she sees Tim totally absorbed in a cold case. She admires his dedication to his job. She has come to understand what an honorable man he is. He does not do this for money, glory or admiration. He has a fire in him that drives him to get as many dirtbags off the streets as he possibly can. What separates him from other law enforcement agents and officers is his ability to do his job honorably and decently. She can see why the director thinks so highly of Timothy.

Ziva smile grows wider as she remembers this past weekend. She and Tim had a wonderful weekend together. They went away to a little bed and breakfast in Virginia and spent the weekend there. They wandered around the area looking at whatever sights that particular area had. It was a nice quiet weekend with them not doing much of anything except being together. With the hectic chaotic pace their job requires, nice and quiet suited them just fine. Having someone to share the nice and quiet with made it so much better.

If it were possible, Ziva smile grew even wider as she heard Tim speak to her without looking up from the cold case he was reading.

"Good morning special agent Ziva David. Are you just going to stand there smiling and making goo goo eyes at me all morning or are you going to actually do some work?"

Laughing softly, Ziva walks in and puts her cup of coffee on her desk and goes to get a couple of cold cases to work on.

"Good morning special agent Timothy McGee. Yes, I will continue to smile because I had a fabulous weekend but I have no idea what these goo goo eyes are that I have been accused of making at you."

Finally looking up from his file, Tim smiled at Ziva and explained goo goo eyes to her.

"Goo goo eyes means looking at someone with extreme adoration or love, sometimes so much so that it becomes a bit bothersome to others as they think it's waaayy to cute or are jealous because no one looks at them like that."

Ziva blushed at his explanation with caused Tim to chuckle. She then sent him a glare which caused him to really laugh now. Ziva tried desperately to hold the glare but seeing Tim laugh like this made her fail miserable. She started with a smile and then gave up completely and started laughing along with him. Tony walked in and seeing the two of them laughing instantly put him into a good mood.

"Ok, what are the two of you laughing at and why couldn't you wait until I got here?" Tony asked with a big smile on his face.

"Ziva tried to glare at me and it looked really cute. Go ahead Ziva, glare at Tony so he can see." Tim asked as he laughed.

"I do not glare" Ziva said with a pout.

Tim and Tony looked at each other and both burst out laughing.

Ziva looked at them like they had lost their minds.

"What are you two idiots laughing at now?" She asked with her hands on her hips.

They just laughed harder at her question and the way she looked standing there with her hands on her hips and a puzzled look on her face. Finally Tim was able to answer her.

"Your pout is even more adorable than your glare." He told her as he continued to laugh.

Tony couldn't talk through his laughter but he nodded his head up and down while pointing at her silently agreeing with McGee.

"I do not pout" Ziva said with a pout stomping her foot.

Now both guys were on the floor laughing. Ziva just looked waaaaayyyy to cute standing there pouting and glaring trying to convince Tim and Tony that she does not pout and glare. Ziva gave up on them thinking they had lost their minds and went to her desk to work. The guys were finally able to get themselves under control and get up to go to their own desks. Tim picked up two cold cases off of his desk and rolled his chair over to Tony's desk. Seeing this, Ziva also got up and rolled her chair over to Dinozzo's desk. Tim started briefing them both on the two cold cases and the POI's he wanted to go bring in for further questioning. All three went over the case in detail and then Tony told them he was good and they could go get the POI's. Tim and Ziva rolled their chairs back to their desks and retrieved their badges, guns and gear and were out the door. Tony had a big smile on his face as he watched them go. His world was back in focus. His Probie was back at work finding impossible clues no one else had been able to find. His ninja girl was in a good mood even if she was cute as a button when she pouted and glared. He chuckled again thinking about that. He and Tim were risking their lives laughing at her like that but it was worth it. He was still chuckling when Gibbs walked in with his coffee in his hand.

"Good morning boss, how's it hanging this morning?" Dinozzo greeted Gibbs with a big smile on his face.

Gibbs stopped and looked at Tony like he had lost his mind. Tony had to really bite his lip to keep from outright laughing in Gibbs face at the look on his boss's face. No one had probably ever asked Gibbs how's it hanging and the look on his face was priceless. Tony wish he had been recording this so he could show it to Tim and Ziva when they got back. Gibbs was still staring at Tony trying to figure what the hell was wrong with his SFA.

"Knock it off Dinozzo" Gibbs growled as he turned to go to his desk so Tony couldn't see the smirk on his face. Gibbs knew what his face must have looked like when Tony surprised him that idiotic question. He could also see Tony biting his lip trying to keep from laughing at what must have been a very comical look on his face. He was glad Tony was in a good mood and speaking to him in a much better tone than when last they spoke. Gibbs didn't even bother to ask where the rest of his team was. He saw the cold cases scattered on their desks and knew they were out hunting down dirtbags. He also knew Tony would brief him and bring him up to speed. No sooner than he thought this than his SFA started speaking to him again.

"Knocking it off boss" Tony said with a smile. "Got a minute boss?" Tony asked as he got up to roll his chair over to Gibbs desk taking Tim's two cold cases with him. Gibbs nodded and Tony continued his little trip over to the boss's desk. He opened the first cold case and gave it to Gibbs while giving him a complete rundown of what Tim had found and what the three of them had discussed. After answering all of Gibbs questions, Tony opened the second cold case file and handed it to Gibbs. He gave him a complete and thorough rundown on this cold case as well. He answered all of Gibbs questions but was interrupted once as Ziva had called to check in during the brief.

Gibbs was very impressed with his team. As usual, Tim had found some small overlooked clue in both cold cases and had pursued those clues relentlessly until he was able to put together enough information to ascertain viable POI's to question. He also, had given Tony a thorough brief going by the brief he had just received from him. He knew if Ziva was able to chase and bust bad guys she was happy. He had never seen her as happy as when she and Tim began partnering together. They did make a very effective team. His team seemed to have bounced back and picked up from where they left off. They were back to hitting on all cylinders. The only dark cloud hovering over them was Gibbs still wanted to talk to McGee. He would talk to Tony now but the talk with McGee was the one that he knew would probably disrupt the team's harmonic flow. Before Gibbs could start his conversation with Dinozzo, the elevator pinged and Abby came bouncing out.

"Hey boss man, hey Tony" she greeted the duo.

"Abbs" Gibbs greeted.

"What's up Abby" Tony greeted. "What's going on in the Goth world these days" he teased.

Abby smiled at Tony's teasing before answering "nothing new to report from the home front Tony. All is quiet in the dark world" she said with a laugh.

"Good to know" he responded. "Now what brings you up to the bull pen? Do I need to go out dig up some more evidence for you to work your magic on?"

Gibbs was pleased that Tony was not only talking to Abby but was also teasing and joking with her as he normally did. He thought there would be a lot more animosity but everyone appears to have put it behind them. Again, he was proud of the mature approach his team was taking with handling the situation.

Laughing at Tony's silliness, Abby responded "Oh no, I've got more than enough to keep me busy for now. I came up to talk to McGee so I could apologize to him. I really screwed up and I don't want him mad at me." She finished.

"Don't worry about it Abbs. I spoke to Probie last week and this morning and he's good. He's his normal self and I for one would like for him to stay that way. I don't think it would be a good idea to bring it up here at work anyway. Why don't you see if he would meet you for a drink after work or something like that?" Tony advised.

"That's a great idea Tony" she gushed as she went over and gave Tony a hug.

Unfortunately, you're gonna have to wait to ask him. He and Ziva are out looking for some POI's to bring in for questioning." Tony informed her.

Abby got a quick frown on her face before she could hide it but wiped it away just as quick. She really did not like her Timmy being partnered with Ziva all the time. Tim was hers and hers alone. As she thought about it she became a little more agitated as it struck her that Ziva spent waaaayyy more time with Timmy than anyone else at NCIS. That was definitely going to have to change. She told Tony and Gibbs she would try to catch him later or send him a text about the drinks after work. She left to go back down to her lab.

Gibbs thought he finally had a chance to have his talk with Dinozzo and was just getting out of his seat to have Dinozzo follow him to the elevator when McGee and Ziva walked in with one of the POI's they were searching for. Both Tim and Ziva acknowledged Gibbs as they proceeded past him with the POI.

"Boss" Tim greeted.

"Gibbs" Ziva greeted.

Gibbs didn't get a chance to reply as they continued past him. Tony had gotten up to follow them to the interrogation room they were using. Tim and Ziva were talking to Tony outside of the interrogation room. Gibbs walked up just as Tim had finished relaying his request to Tony. Tony turned to address Gibbs.

"Boss, it's almost lunch time and Probie and Ziva would like us to do the interrogation so they can go right back out and see if they can get the POI for the other case before the day is out." Tony explained.

All three agents looked at Gibbs waiting for his response. Gibbs didn't want them going anywhere. Well, to correct that he didn't want McGee going anywhere. He wanted to talk to McGee and he was tired of it being put off. He could change it and let Dinozzo and Ziva go track down the other POI and keep McGee here with him. He would be able to talk to him after they were done with the interrogation. Abby also wanted to talk to him so it seemed like a win win situation all the way around.

"Dinozzo, you and Ziva go track down the other POI; McGee and I will handle the interrogation." Gibbs ordered.

All three agents looked at him with frowns on their faces but they turned to go follow his orders. Tony and Ziva went one way with Tony stopping by his desk to get his badge, gun and gear while McGee had gone back into the interrogation room to begin questioning the POI. They had all left without saying a word. They all departed so quickly that Gibbs found himself standing in the hall alone. He turned to follow McGee into the interrogation room only to see that McGee had already begun interrogating the POI. He stood in the corner so he could observed and evaluate McGee's interrogation techniques. He watched and listened as McGee did a masterful job of interrogating the guy. Gibbs was astonished when McGee used a technique that he had never seen or heard anyone use before which caused the guy to unknowingly turn himself from a POI into a suspect and finally from a suspect into the perpetrator of the crime. Tim wrapped up the session and took the perp down to lockup. Gibbs was sitting at his desk when Tim came back into the bullpen. Gibbs watched as McGee sat at his desk and called all of the appropriate offices informing them of the confession. He then typed of his report before sending it off to Tony and printing a copy for Gibbs to read immediately just in case he didn't want to wait for Dinozzo to sign off on it before he passed it on to him. It was almost 3 by the time he was done. After he gave Gibbs the printed copy he grabbed his badge and gun and started for the elevator.

"McGee, where are you headed" Gibbs asked.

"Lunch" Tim responded.

"Before you go, I want to talk to you." Gibbs stated.

"About what" Tim responded.

Gibbs didn't like the way this was going already. Tim had never questioned Gibbs about anything and now he had to explain himself to him. Gibbs figured now was as good a time as any to start getting his team back in line.

"Enough McGee, I'm still the team lead here which means I give the orders. All you need to know is I want to talk to you and that means you come running with no questions asked. Are we clear?" Gibbs barked.

"Yeah, we're clear" Tim stated calmly. "But while we're getting things clear, let's be clear about a couple of other things. First, this is a civilian agency not a military one. What that means is if you say jump, not only do I not need to say how high but I also don't have to jump. I think it's about time that you realize that you are a team lead in a civilian agency and not a Gunnery Sergeant in a marine unit. Second, if this talk you want to have deals in any way with what happened last week there is nothing to talk about since it is still a personal matter between me and Abby. Just because you know what it is still does not make it any of your business and I still will not talk to you or anyone else about it. Finally, if you ever abuse your authority with me again, I will submit the proper paperwork up the proper channels to ensure that it will be the last time you do so. I think you're starting to believe Abby's overinflated opinion of you. Do you really have that low of an opinion of our intelligence to think that Tony, Ziva and I wouldn't know you switched Tony and me just so you could try to corner me and talk about last week even though you knew I didn't want to talk about it?"

Gibbs stood there stunned. He had underestimated McGee again and McGee had just calmly handed Gibbs his ass to him. Not only had he turned the tables and put Gibbs in his place but he had also threatened to bring him up on charges for abusing his authority. To make matters worse, Gibbs didn't have a leg to stand on. McGee was always meticulous in everything he did. Everything he had just said was the truth and he wouldn't have to do much to prove any of it. Gibbs thought McGee was done but it looked like he was just getting warmed up as he continued.

"For the most part, you are a good boss and I will follow your orders as I have always done. I still have the utmost trust in your leadership and will always follow your lead and have your six. I will never be disobedient or disrespectful to you unless you have crossed the line which you have a tendency to do. Aside from that, what I'm saying is I will no longer be anyone's doormat. I will not tolerate being treated as incompetent or only a computer geek. Most importantly, no one will dictate to me what I do with my personal time, my personal business, my personal finances or my personal possessions. Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not trying to be disrespectful or insubordinate boss. I'm just stating truths and facts in the hopes that we understand each other little better and maybe have a starting point for a better working relationship."

"I'm heading to lunch now. Please don't take that to mean I'm avoiding you or anything like that. It just so happens that I have not eaten today and happen to be very hungry. Unless there is something else you would like to discuss, I am going to get something to eat. I'll be back in an hour." Tim finished.

Tim turned and continued to the elevator so he could go to lunch. He was not upset in anyway. The weekend had been just what he needed and he had indeed recharged his batteries so to speak. He had conditioned himself not to get upset no matter what nonsense was thrown his way. He was determined to not only remain calm but to speak calmly. He did not want to be one of those people who went and threw a tantrum whenever they were upset whether they were right or wrong. He was hungry and decided to go to that little Italian restaurant that he and Ziva liked. The staff knew him there and was very friendly to him.

Gibbs thought about what McGee had just said. He actually listened to McGee for what might have been the first time since he had known him. McGee had spoken to him calmly and with no fanfare. He had, as he said, just stated truths and facts. What McGee said made a lot of sense. It was finally dawning on him that it wasn't McGee. It was him. He had gotten away with doing things his way for so long that he didn't consider any other way or anyone's feelings. Well, not until one special agent Timothy McGee had come along. Even Tony had changed and was working well with McGee. As a matter of fact, Tony's about face had been so complete that he was willing to go toe to toe with him in his protection of McGee. Tony was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing and more. He was also doing Gibbs job. He was supposed to protect each and every one of his team members and he had failed miserably at that. The difference between him and Dinozzo was Dinozzo had seen he had failed McGee, admitted it and started over doing his job the correct way. Could he do any less?

"McGee" Gibbs barked.

The elevator had just opened and Tim was just stepping into it when Gibbs called him. He stopped and turned holding the elevator open while he answered.

"Yeah boss?"

"Mind if I join you? Turns out I'm pretty hungry myself." Gibbs said with a smirk.

Smiling, Tim responded "would enjoy the company boss."

Gibbs went over to his desk and retrieved his gun and badge and then joined Tim on the elevator. Gibbs gave McGee a friendly pat on the back as he started talking.

"So tell me about that technique you used on that POI earlier; that was pretty damn good." Gibbs said as the elevator doors closed.

"Why will Gibbs not leave McGee alone?" Ziva said in frustration.

"I don't know Ziva. I know he has a blind spot when it comes to Abby, but I just don't know why he feels the need to continuingly upset McGee." Tony replied.

"He will not be satisfied until McGee puts in for a transfer and leaves us." Ziva said angrily.

'If McGee leaves I will also leave' Ziva thought to herself. 'I will not work for the person who drives Tim away'.

A shudder went through Tony at the thought of McGee leaving. 'I don't know what the boss wants' Dinozzo thought to himself. 'Probie is doing amazing field work as well as being a computer genius. The team is clicking like it has never done before. What does he want?'

Tony and Ziva were not able to locate the other POI and headed back to the office. They really wanted to get back to the office before Gibbs said or did something that would force McGee to request a transfer.

Ziva and Tony came back to an empty bullpen. They did not like the way this looked. They were both thinking they had returned to late. They went to their desk and started checking their emails. Tony brought up the report that Tim had forwarded to him for review. Tony eyes got big as he read the report.

"Ziva" he called out.

"Yes" she replied.

"The POI you and Probie brought in this morning was actually the perp." He told her.

"What! How did Gibbs figure that out?" she asked.

"He didn't, Probie did the whole interrogation himself and got him to confess." Tony said proudly

Ziva just smiled.

Tony continued to tell her about what was in the report when the elevator pinged and out stepped Gibbs and McGee deep in discussion about the restaurant where they had just eaten lunch.

"I'm a steak and potatoes guy McGee; I don't usually go for Italian but that wasn't bad at all." Gibbs stated as they stepped off the elevator.

"It's the chef they have there boss. I've spoken with him a few times and he doesn't just go through the motions. He is very dedicated to his craft. Makes all the difference in the world." Tim replied.

"Hey guys; were you able to get the other POI?" Tim asked Tony and Ziva.

Tony and Ziva were just looking at them like they had seen a ghost. Gibbs had gone and sat at his desk with a smirk on his face. He knew exactly what the two had expected to find when they returned, and it certainly wasn't him and McGee discussing lunch. Tim looked at them uncertainly and tried again.

"Uh Guys, were you able to get the other POI?" he repeated a little quieter wondering what was wrong with them.

Tony snapped out of his trance first.

"No Probie, we weren't able to find him." He replied.

"Ok, I've got some more thoughts on that case and I think I might have a few other places we can look. We'll tackle that one first thing in morning; that ok with you Ziva?" He asked.

Ziva had recovered from her shock by now.

"Yes McGee, that is fine with me." She replied.

At that moment, the elevator pinged, and Abby came out.

"Hey McGee; I've been looking for you." Abby stated.

"Ok, you've found me; what's up?" Tim asked cautiously.

"I just wanted to apologize to you for last week. I was hoping you would let me buy you drink after work so I could apologize to you properly." She said with a smile.

"That's ok Abby, we're good. Apology is appreciated and accepted. Nothing further is required." Tim stated thinking everything was settled.

"But Timmy, you have to let me buy you a drink after work, so we can seal the deal." Abby whined not realizing that her whining always gave McGee a headache.

"I appreciate the thought Abby; I really do but it's not necessary. We all got a little worked up last week but it's over and behind us now. We can just go forward now and be a little more careful about respecting each other boundaries." Tim replied, again thinking it was over.

"Oh, come on Timmy, just one drink. What is one little drink going to hurt?" Abby continued to whine grating on everyone nerves.

Everyone was ready to jump in for Tim by this point, but Gibbs shout stopped all conversation.

"McGee, Abby"

"Boss?"

"Boss man?"

Everyone was shocked with what came next.

"McGee appreciate you accepting Abby's apology. You had every good reason not to. Abby, McGee has graciously accepted your apology and told you nothing else was needed; so, drop it."

"But Gibbs" she whined but was cut off before she could continue.

Abby, McGee has made it perfectly clear that he does not need to have a drink or anything else with you to accept your apology so, quit making a scene and go down to your lab." He snapped at her.

With a pout on her face, Abby stomped her foot before turning and heading to the elevator. When she had gone everyone was staring at Gibbs like he had grown another head. Gibbs pretended he didn't know they were all staring at him until a voice from the other side of the bullpen broke the ice.

"Nicely done Gibbs; there's hope for you yet. You just proved the old saying is wrong. You can teach an old dog new a trick."

There was loud laughter from the other side of the bullpen. Gibbs looked at his team and noticed they all had their backs to him looking everywhere except at him. Gibbs smiled and decided to let them off the hook. He got up and told them he was going for coffee. He wasn't even half way down the hall before he heard his team burst out laughing. He was ok with it. It was funny because he did fit the description of an old dog learning a new trick. He gave a little chuckle as he walked down the hall.

There was only one person who was not happy. Abby was down in her lab throwing a hissy fit and having a conversation with herself.

"It's even worse than I thought. When did Gibbs start protecting McGee instead of me? How am I going to get McGee back under my control if I can't see him? I need to get McGee alone, so I can work my magic on him but how am I going to do that if I can't even get him to have a drink after work. I'm going to have to come up with a plan to get McGee alone some how and then the rest is history, as they say. McGee could never resist me. I might even dress up like Marylyn Monroe again since both he and Tony were drooling when they saw me." Abby smiled and finally calmed down knowing it wouldn't be long until things were back as they were meant to be.

 _Abby is soooo sweet. Don't you all agree?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Taking Control Adventure Series (TCAS)!**

 _ **TCAS 2 -**_ ** _Loans and Moans, Chapter 5 Halloween Party!_**

 **Abby makes her move / Gibbs messes up again.**

 **Disclaimer 1: I rarely, if ever, write cannon. I write how the story takes me.**

 **Disclaimer 2: I don't own NCIS or their characters. To clarify, I OWN NOTHING.**

 _NCIS Headquarters Halloween Party_

Abby has been planning this for months. Everything was set. She had been trying to think of an excuse to be dressed as Marylyn Monroe again. She wants to get McGee under her spell again, so to speak, and knew that him seeing her in that dress would have his fantasy's running wild. She ended up having to wait for months as Halloween was the only time she would have a realistic excuse to be dressed that way.

Director Vance had kept the previous director's policy in place allowing anyone who wanted to dress up in a costume to do so on Halloween day.

Ziva came to work dressed as the Avengers Black Widow.

 _(I mean come on; who else would she go as, well maybe cat woman. But I digress into my own fantasy, Ok, back to the story)._

Dinozzo came dressed as Captain America and Tim came dressed as Star Treks Captain Kirk. It was ironic that both Tony and McGee came as Captains.

Jimmy, Breena and their baby William came as the three bears from the children's story Goldilocks and the three bears and Ducky came dressed as Sherlock Holmes. Gibbs came as Gibbs. No one stared and no one said a word.

Just like last time she dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, Tony and just about every other male were drooling over Abby. She also had a few admiring women drooling. One of the few men not drooling over her was her intended target. Tim was in a group talking with four other men and one woman that also were not affected romantically or lustfully by Abby looks; Ducky, Gibbs, Jimmy, Vance and Ziva. Vance and Jimmy were happily married to women they loved and cherished, Gibbs looked on Abby as a daughter, Ducky looked on her as a granddaughter and Ziva just wanted to beat her to a pulp. Tim looked at Abby as more of an acquaintance or distant friend now. He had absolutely no romantic or lustful feelings for Abby at all. Tim had always been a one-woman man and he had the one woman he wanted. He could appreciate that Abby still looked hot dressed that way but the reaction he had to her before was not there. There was only one woman that got his blood boiling now and he was very happy with her.

Anyone seeing this group talking together would have bet the farm that they were talking about the job. They would have lost their shirt. They would have been even more astonished if they joined the group and heard what they were actually talking about. Tim turned to Ducky.

"Ok Ducky, enough of this! I want a whole weekend with my Godson and you are not getting away with kidnapping him again before I can get him this time." Tim stated.

"Now my dear boy," Ducky started with a devious look on his face. "I'm quite sure I have no idea what you're talking about and I most certainly don't kidnap my grandson. I'm not sure how he happens to end up at my place. I think he takes Uber. I open up the door and there he is. What am I supposed to do, close the door in his cute little face?" Ducky finished.

By now the whole group is cracking up. Tim is trying really hard to not laugh along with the rest of them. William is also laughing because everyone else is.

"Come on Breena, help me out. Don't I get dibs on William?" Tim asked.

"Hey, leave me out of this Tim" Breena said laughing at these two men fighting over her son.

"Jimmy?" Tim asked hopefully.

"Oh no you don't" Jimmy replied laughing. "I stand by my wife; if she's out, I'm out."

That earned Jimmy a kiss from his wife. "I have a really smart husband" Breena stated.

"Ok Ducky, I tried to handle this like a gentleman, but you have left me with no other choice." Tim said menacingly.

Tim held his hands out for William who was currently in his mother's arms. William adored his Godfather and stretched his arms out to willingly go to Tim. Once Tim had William in his arms he turned to Ducky.

"There's an old saying Ducky; possession is 9/10 of the law."

With that said, Tim took off running with William who was shrieking and laughing hysterically. Tim ran down the hall to the conference rooms. The group could still hear William laughing as Tim disappeared down the hall. They all looked at each other with wide eyes. Then broke out laughing just as hysterically as William.

"Did he just" Breena tried to say.

"I think he did" Jimmy said trying unsuccessfully to stop laughing.

Ducky, who had tears coming down his cheeks from laughing so hard, was finally able to say.

"It looks like I have finally driven the lad around the loony bend."

The group broke up again. It took a while before they were able to control themselves. Tony and Abby came over to see what all the laughter was about.

"Hey guys, what's going on over here and where is Probie?" Tony asked.

That got the group to chuckling again. Gibbs, who couldn't remember the last time he had laughed this hard or this much was the one to finally answer Tony.

"Well Dinozzo, it appears that Ducky was hogging William all to himself and McGee finally snapped and ran off with him."

The group started laughing again at the look on Tony's face. Still laughing herself Ziva started to move down the hall.

"I think I should go and see what those two are getting into."

Abby was about to tell Ziva that she would go find them but Ziva had already disappeared down the hall. Abby had to concentrate really hard to hide her frustration. A couple of minutes later, the elevator pinged and out stepped Ziva with Tim carrying William. Tim and William had matching smiles and matching cookies. The group took one look at them and broke up again.

Later that night at McGee's apartment. Tim was sitting on the sofa looking into the kitchen at Ziva who was busy preparing tea. She knew Tim was watching every move she made. He had not taken his eyes off of her since they had been home. Ziva used every excuse she could think of to constantly bend over pretending to look for something so McGee could look at her ass.

"Ziva"

"Yes Tim"

"Come here please"

Ziva walked over and stood in front of Tim. Tim reached up and took hold of the zipper on her black widow costume and slowly started to unzip it.

"Do you know that Black Widow is my favorite avenger" he asked her softly as he continued to unzip the costume.

With a sultry smile on her face she answered "Of course, that is why I wore it. I wanted to please you. Were you pleased Tim" she asked demurely?

"Hell no Ziva, I was not pleased. I had to fight myself all night to keep from ripping it off of you and taking you right there on the buffet table." Tim snarled.

Ziva's smile got bigger at his admission. Her choice of costume had the exact effect on him that she wanted. She liked when he was out of control. She loved how tender and caring Tim was with her during their lovemaking but once she found out how he was when he was out of control, she knew every once in a while, she would push him to make that wild side come out. Tonight she wanted his wild side and she was determined to get it.

Tim had succeeded in stripping the costume off of Ziva and now she stood before him in just her bra and panties. Tim stood up and backed her up to the wall and then lifted her up. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist as he claimed her lips and ravished her mouth. Ziva moaned deeply and loudly as she was finally getting what she had been wanting all night. Ziva did not know who captain Kirk was but that form fitting shirt had been stretched tight across Tim's chest showing how fit he was. Because it was short sleeved, Ziva had been dying to caress his biceps all night. Yes, Ziva had been drooling over her man all night and now she had him in her clutches.

Just as things were getting interesting, there was a knock at the door.

"Yeah Gibbs" Gibbs answered the phone.

"Hey boss, its McGee." Tim supplied.

"It's 2:20 in the morning McGee; what's going on?"

"I have a situation here boss. Abby showed up and barged into my apartment. She seems to be pretty drunk. Well boss, this is kind of embarrassing but she started trying to get me to go bed with her."

"Did you" Gibbs snapped.

"I'll ignore that insulting question since I know you just woke up and are not thinking straight at the moment but just so we are clear. No, I did not sleep with her. First, I would never take advantage of any woman who was not in complete control of her faculties. Second, I don't have those kind of feelings for Abby anymore. She's already destroyed that and now she's working on destroying whatever friendship we might still have. I called you because I'm never stepping foot in her home again, so I can't take her home; I don't trust putting her in an Uber with someone who might take advantage of her. Finally, even if I did take her home, I don't think she should be alone since she has passed out on my couch. I thought the person she considered to be her surrogate father would feel better if he came and got her and took her to his home where he could watch over her and make sure she was safe." Tim finished.

Gibbs had just put his big foot in his big mouth again and he knew it. Tim was to honorable a man to take advantage of Abby and he knew it. All that work to get a better working relationship with him and might have destroyed it with one stupid remark.

"Ok McGee, I'll be over in 20 minutes to collect her." Gibbs advised. "Look Tim"

"Click"

Gibbs looked at the phone. He couldn't even be angry that McGee had hung up on him. To insult him like that was way over the line. Gibbs got up and got dressed and headed to McGee's. When he got there McGee opened the door and pointed to the couch. McGee saw Gibbs was getting ready to say something but he just didn't want to hear his voice. He held up his hand to stop him and pointed to Abby again. Gibbs got the message and just nodded. He went and picked Abby up and carried her out. Tim closed the door behind him and he could hear the locks being put on the door. Sadly, he carried Abby out to his car and got her seat belted in. Before he drove off, he hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand twice while asking himself what the hell was wrong with him. He then drove off.

Ziva had come out of her hiding spot in the bedroom and saw Tim sitting on the couch staring out into space. She had heard Tim's side of the conversation on the phone and could guess Gibbs side. Her anger was still burning and seeing Tim staring off into space didn't help. She knew she had to get herself under control before she could help Tim.

Once Ziva had calmed down, she walked over to Tim and took off the robe she had put on. She was still in her bra and panties as Abby had interrupted them in the middle of their foreplay. She sat down on Tim's lap sideways and put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest and waited. Tim's arms finally came around her and he hugged her tight to his chest. They stayed like that for a while. Tim finally got up with Ziva in his arms and headed for the bedroom. Ziva had already turned the covers back so Tim gently put her in the bed and pulled the covers up over her. He then stripped down to his boxers. As he was taking his clothes off, Ziva took her bra off. She wanted to feel his skin and she wanted him to feel her skin.

Tim got into the bed and took Ziva into his arms spooning her from behind. This was not what Ziva wanted tonight. She wanted full body contact. She unwrapped Tim's arms and turned toward him. She pushed his shoulder so that he would roll unto his back. She then climbed on top of him so that she was fully lying on him. She took his right hand and placed it on her ass and then snuggled her face into the side of his neck. Tim took his other hand and brought it to her back. He started gently caressing her back and it didn't take long before Ziva was purring and dropping off to sleep with a smile on her face. Tim's caresses got slower and slower until he followed her into dream land.

Tim went in the next morning with a plan in place. He was feeling good and was well satisfied with the plan he had come up with. He couldn't keep the big smile off his face. A good night's sleep with your sexy woman snuggled in your arms and some morning loving from said woman tended to do that to you. Tim was the first one in as usual. He got his cold cases and got to work on them.

Surprisingly, Gibbs was the next one in. He knew McGee would be in early and he wanted to talk to him alone. He let McGee put him off before because he was off duty at his home trying to look out for Abby but now, they were at work and he could make him talk to him. Gibbs went over to his desk and sat his coffee on the desk.

"McGee, with me" he barked.

"Where are we going boss?" McGee asked.

"I want to speak to you in private." Gibbs snarled not liking being asked a question.

"If you're asking me to get on the elevator with you to talk about you making an ass of yourself by insulting me last night for no reason, then the answer is no. I have nothing to say about it and I don't want to listen to what you have say since I know it won't be an apology as that's one of your precious little rules. If you insist on talking to me about this, I will do what NCIS policy requires me to do and write an incident report describing her actions and turn it into her immediate supervisor" McGee stated.

Gibbs froze. Vance was Abby's supervisor. If he turned in a report about what had happened Abby could be fired. Gibbs glared at Tim who calmly looked back at him. Gibbs finally stalked off and Tim went back to his cold case files. By the time Ziva came in, Tim had a schedule prepared of possible suspects to check out and where to look for them. When Tony came in, he was briefed on what Tim had found and given a copy of the schedule Tim had drafted so he would have some idea where they were throughout the day. Tony told them he was good with it and they could get started with their searches.

When Gibbs came back into the bullpen it was empty except for Tony. As Gibbs went to sit at his desk Tony spoke up.

"Got a minute boss?"

"Yeah Dinozzo"

Tony rolled his chair over to Gibbs desk with the files Tim had left with him. He proceeded to give him a thorough brief on the cases Tim were working on and the possible suspects and POI's Tim and Ziva were trying to track down. He also gave Gibbs a copy of the schedule Tim had made. Gibbs was impressed with the thoroughness of the brief and the investigative skills demonstrated by McGee to find clues no one had been able to find.

After Dinozzo went back to his desk, Gibbs sat in deep thought. He needed to fix this thing with McGee ASAP. He knew he was wrong but if he apologized, he would be breaking one of his own rules. He could throw rule 51 at him but hell, they both already knew he was wrong so that would just be stating the obvious. It suddenly hit him that he was going to need help with this. McGee was not going to listen to him unless someone interceded on his behalf. He was not happy with the plan as he knew the person would have to be Dinozzo. He knew Dinozzo would probably be more upset than McGee was when he told him but it couldn't be helped if he was truly going to try to fix this.

"Dinozzo"

"Yeah boss"

"Got a problem; need your help."

"Sure boss, whatcha need?"

"Come with me" Gibbs said as he got up and headed for the elevator.

Tony got up and followed Gibbs into the elevator. After hitting the emergency stop button, Gibbs turned to Dinozzo and plunged in.

"Messed up with McGee again; need you to talk to him for me."

"Ok boss but I need to know what happened to know why I'm talking to him and what I'm talking to him about."

As Gibbs explained what had happened, he could see Tony getting angrier and angrier. When he had finished, Tony exploded

"YOU ACCUSED HIM OF WHAT?" Tony shouted. "ARE YOU CRAZY OR SOMETHING?"

Gibbs had expected this, but he hadn't expected it to be so loud.

"Keep your voice down Dinozzo."

"What the hell is wrong with you boss? Of all the people to accuse of taking advantage of someone, you accuse the one person who we both know would never do something like that. Hell, as hot as Ziva is, if she was drunk and naked and threw herself at Probie he would just cover her up make sure she got home ok and would probably sleep on the couch to protect her until she could take care of herself."

"Calm down Dinozzo; I know I messed up again, and I also know McGee would never do that but it's out there now and McGee won't talk about it with me."

"Were you planning on apologizing to him?" Tony asked.

"I can't"

"What? You're seriously going to let one of your rules keep you from doing what's right? If that's the case, just what do you think I could do? Hell, I'm with McGee; I don't want to talk to you either. Have you talked to Abby yet?"

"No" Gibbs said knowing he should have talked to her already

"What the hell; why haven't you talked to Abby? You need to know what she was thinking?"

"I just didn't want to get into it with her."

"But it was ok to get into it with McGee? I don't know where your head is boss?"

"Hell Dinozzo, that's something we agree on. I don't know where my head is either. I also don't know what Abby was thinking pulling a stunt like that, I just don't know." Gibbs spat out angrily.

"Oh shit" Dinozzo exclaimed as his eyes got as big as saucers.

Gibbs looked at him and knew Tony had come to a conclusion that he was not going to like.

"Whatcha thinking Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Boss, I think you're going to have leave Probie alone for now and concentrate on Abby." Tony stated quietly.

"What do you mean; what are you getting at Dinozzo."

"This wasn't a drunken incident boss."

"Dammit Dinozzo quit beating around the bush and spit it out." Gibbs snapped.

"I don't think Abby was drunk or rather I don't think she was as drunk as she would like us to believe. I think she planned this; I think she intentionally tried to seduce Probie." Tony explained.

"What? How did you come to that conclusion?" Gibbs exclaimed.

"Think about it boss; Abby has not been happy since the loan fiasco. Not only did McGee stand up to her and say no to the loan but he basically told her he was through being her whipping boy. He does not go out with her anymore. He does not loan her money anymore. He doesn't even go down to her lab anymore. Abby is not happy about any of that. She wanted to keep stringing Probie along, so he would continue to be at her beck and call. If you remember boss, both Probie and I went a little goofy when she dressed up as Marilyn Monroe last year. Why did she dress like that again? You know Abby doesn't like repeating how she dresses. It was a part of the seduction. Now ask yourself, what better way is there for a woman to get a man under her control than the bedroom. I think Abby put this scheme together to get her lapdog back." Tony finished.

Gibbs stood there stunned. Everything Dinozzo said fit. Not only did it fit but this was just the type of thing Abby would do to try and get things back the way they used to be. Since McGee was a great investigator himself, he probably had already put together what Abby was trying to do. And then he had to go pour gas on the fire by accusing McGee of taking advantage of Abby. Even if he had slept with her, he still wouldn't have been taking advantage of her as she was the one trying to seduce him and get him to sleep with her to give him hope for a relationship again. Gibbs was disgusted.

Another thought started nibbling at the back of Gibbs brain. Something McGee had said. Gibbs thought back to the stupid meeting he had called when Abby had asked for the loan. When McGee finally lost it, the last thing he said was something about let's see what daddy Gibbs thinks about his Angel when he finds out what she does at the clubs. That wasn't it exactly, but it was something like that. McGee knew there was almost nothing that could make Gibbs think less of Abby so what was he talking about? What could Abby do at a club that could possibly turn Gibbs against her? He would put that on hold for now. He had to make things right with McGee.

"I think you're right Tony. I can take care of that part with Abby, but I still need your help with McGee and it just got a little harder."

"What do you mean boss?"

"What makes our team great is that you all are great investigators. That's how you were able to uncover Abby's plan. I, as you've said, have a blind spot with her so I couldn't see it, but McGee no longer has that blind spot for her." Gibbs said and watched Tony's face as recognition as to what he was getting at settled in.

"Ah hell Probie" Tony said sadly.


End file.
